Thursday, September 12, 2013

Councilmember Ervin Helps Launch County-wide Food Recovery Program

Members
of the Montgomery County Council’s Food Recovery Work Group, the president of
Montgomery College, the director of Public Policy for the Capital Area Food
Bank, non-profit leaders, private sector partners and community advocates have
joined with Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin to take the steps
needed to create a food recovery program in Montgomery County. Once in
operation, it is believed that the program will be the nation’s first
county-wide food recovery program.

In
a report that was released to the County Council on Sept. 10, the County’s
Food Recovery Work Group presented a roadmap for establishing a streamlined
process for collecting unused, edible food and distributing it to non-profit
providers who serve the hungry. Councilmember Ervin brought together all
of the partners in a Council-appointed work group, which met for eight months
to develop recommendations on how to create a food recovery program in the
County.

“We
needed to hear from our non-profit providers, faith-based institutions and
community advocates who deal directly with helping those in need about where
the gaps are and what they needed to better serve families who are food
insecure,” said Councilmember Ervin. “My hope is that the Council, which
unanimously voted to create this work group, will again join with me to
implement these recommendations so we can start a streamlined distribution
system to get unused food directly to those who need it
most.”

Creating
a county-wide food recovery program is also an outgrowth of February’s SNAP the
Silence Challenge, spearheaded by Councilmember Ervin. Participants in the
challenge—including all members of the County Council and hundreds of
others—agreed to live on a food budget of $25 for five days. That is the
approximate average amount allotted to the nation’s neediest residents through
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP was formerly known
as the Food Stamp Program.

“The
SNAP Challenge was truly an eye-opener for me and many of the hundreds of
people who participated,” said Councilmember Ervin. “Now we are in a position
to take action by moving ahead with recommendations to develop a program to help
reduce hunger and help those in need and our working families.”

Some cities
have food recovery programs, such as the D.C. Central Kitchen in Washington,
D.C., and City Harvest in New York City. However, it is believed that
Montgomery would be the first county to implement this type of program.
The Manna Food Center is Montgomery County’s main food bank and nearly
every non-profit organization that deals with food insecurity issues relies on
Manna to provide food for their clients. This food recovery effort would
enhance existing resources for Manna and other non-profit groups in a new
way.

Food insecurity
is a nationwide challenge. The Capital Area Food Bank reports that 40 percent
of its clients must choose between paying for food and paying for other
necessities like housing, utilities, medical care and transportation.

In Montgomery
County, the economic downturn has forced more people than ever to ask for
public assistance. In 2012, the self-sufficiency standard (the minimum
income families require to achieve financial security) for a family of four in
Montgomery County was approximately $82,877. One-third of students in
Montgomery’s public schools qualify to receive Free and Reduced Price Meals
(FARMS).

Councilmember
Ervin was motivated to start a food recovery effort in Montgomery County after
she saw the work that student volunteers were doing at the University of
Maryland. Students Ben Simon and Mia Zavalij created a model of food
redistribution called the Food Recovery Network at the College Park campus. As
of May 2012, the University of Maryland chapter had collected and distributed
enough unused food to create more than 30,000 meals. Nationally, the
organization has generated 135,000 meals. After helping launch food recovery
programs at colleges across the United
States, the organization is becoming a
501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission of replicating the model in other
communities.

“When I saw the
amazing job the students at University of Maryland were doing, I thought, ‘Why
aren’t we doing this in Montgomery County?’” said Councilmember Ervin.
“Hunger is an ever-increasing problem in our community, and many of our working families struggle to put food on the table. Since
we have numerous public institutions and private sector partners who dispose of
unwanted food, it seemed like a no brainer for the county to follow the lead of
the students who began the food recovery movement.”

There also is
an environmental component to the initiative. According to the Environmental
Protection Agency, in 2011, more than 36 million tons of food waste is
generated annually in the U.S. In Montgomery County, approximately 19
percent of the waste stream is made up of food.

“The food
recovery initiative will not only help our area non-profit organizations who
fight hunger, but should also reduce the amount of food that ends up in our
waste stream,” said Councilmember Ervin. “In my mind, this initiative is
a win-win as those who donate food receive tax benefits and those in need
receive healthy meals.”